When it comes to treating eating disorders, the go-to has long been a combination of therapy, nutritional support and anti-depressants. But people with eating disorders are increasingly self-medicating with cannabis and psychedelics and rating these substances as surprisingly effective in easing their symptoms, a new survey finds.

The survey examined the self-reported experiences of more than 7,600 individuals with eating disorders across 83 countries and was led by PhD candidate, Sarah- Catherine Rodan, at the University of Sydney, Australia. The results challenge much of what we thought we knew about treating eating disorders.

“[Cannabis] boosts the rewarding value of food, which can be a game-changer for patients who otherwise struggle to eat enough.”

“Our results provide important insights into the lived experiences of people with eating disorders and their drug use, highlighting promising avenues for future research into treatments,” Rodan said in a media release.

The participants, 94 percent of whom identified as female, reported having a variety of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa (40 percent), bulimia (19 percent), binge-eating disorder (11 percent) and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder or ARFID (9 percent). Nearly one-third said they were undiagnosed but struggling.

Among the substances taken without prescription were cannabis and psychedelics, including psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. LSD was also used occasionally and perceived as beneficial for overall mental well-being. Some participants said it reduced distress around eating, improved self-perception, and seemed to help stress management.

Psychedelics, often taken just once or twice a year, were notable for their lasting benefits. Users described them as transformative, sometimes leading to sustained relief from the obsessive thoughts and anxiety that accompany disordered eating behaviors. This aligns with emerging research showing psychedelics' potential to reduce depression and anxiety in clinical settings.

People with anorexia and other eating disorders involving food restriction mentioned cannabis as helpful. The reason probably lies in “the munchies” — cannabis's well-documented ability to increase appetite and enhance the enjoyment of food, two critical barriers for people who experience chronic food aversion or anxiety around eating.

“Cannabis appears to address a core issue in restrictive eating disorders,” said Rodan, who is part of the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics. “It boosts the rewarding value of food, which can be a game-changer for patients who otherwise struggle to eat enough.”

Interestingly, prescribed medications, especially antidepressants, were given middling scores. While these drugs helped with general mental health, participants said they had minimal impact on the eating disorder itself. The discrepancy raises questions about the limitations of a one-size-fits-all pharmacological approach. What works for one diagnosis may worsen another.

Given the lack of effective pharmacological treatments for eating disorders and the high rates of co-occurring mental health issues — 65 percent of survey respondents reported depression and 55 percent had anxiety — there's a growing sense of urgency to explore alternative treatments more rigorously.

The results don't suggest people should head to the nearest cannabis dispensary or forage for mushrooms, but they do highlight the need for science to catch up with patient experience.

“These findings highlight an important pattern,” Rodin emphasized. “With traditional medications often falling short in treating eating disorders directly, many individuals are self-medicating with substances they perceive as helpful. This underlines the urgent need to better investigate these substances in rigorously controlled clinical trials.”

To that end, the Lambert Initiative, in collaboration with the InsideOut Institute of Sydney, is launching a clinical trial to study psilocybin's effectiveness in treating anorexia nervosa.

The results don't suggest people should head to the nearest cannabis dispensary or forage for mushrooms, but they do highlight the need for science to catch up with patients' experiences. As the mental health field grapples with treatment-resistant disorders and a still-limited pharmaceutical toolkit, one path forward may include these once-taboo substances.

The study is published in JAMA Network Open.